Alpacas are home!

How many alpacas fit in a cargo van?

Ever wonder how to move alpacas? I found an answer: in a cargo van. We moved our guys to the farm last weekend in my step-dad Pete's cargo van - all SEVEN!

All 7 of the boys are "cushing" as we drive on I-70 through Kansas City.

They were quite packed in and we lined the van floor with a drop cloth and some matts that we got from the Harrison's with the purchase of the alpacas. They had no mishaps or accidents on the 60 minute drive across town. Several times a few of them would stand up but, as soon as we hit bumps or curves they would cush again. There were a few instances of spitting (at each other) that got the windows a little dirty. And it was fun to see people behind the van pulling up close to take pictures with their phones!

My co-pilot took a selfie :-)

Jeremy and the alpacas in the van driving through the city.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Pete for loaning us the van and following us back to the farm in the truck! We couldn't have made this happen without you.

After the alpacas unloaded at the farm we had to figure out how to corral them and remove the halters. Jeremy was a big help. And I was able to use the handling techniques I learned at the Camelid Dynamics workshop I attended last Spring to get them into a small area and avoid grabbing them by the neck and wrestling the halters off. It was time-consuming but a calm procedure.

Removing the halters.

Jeremy and I spent the night at the farm to make sure our herd fared well in their new spot. We were anxious to find out if they would be comfortable with all the coyote antics that go on in the wee hours of the morning. And as the sun came up we were glad to see everyone was happy and healthy.

The alpacas' first day at their new home.

Amazingly, they slept out by the fence in the dirt (which they seem to love to roll in). They were wet with dew! Which, of course, turned to mud where they were rolling in the dirt. All dirt is apparently good in camelid personal grooming practice.

Dew-covered alpacas.

I've been encouraged to see them getting more and more comfortable. They've been exploring the barn and all the areas of their small enclosure. They love the neighbors cats and the horses that live to the north and south of us.

I'll keep you updated on their antics :-)